Los Angeles police said Tuesday they are conducting a preliminary investigation into a party apparently hosted by a retired officer that included a parody song mocking Michael Brown, who was fatally shot by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri.
A video of the song, which was sung during a Dec. 15 party at the Elks Lodge in Glendale, was obtained by the website TMZ.com. Sung to the tune of “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown,” the song included lyrics calling Brown a “thug” and said Brown “looked like some old Swiss cheese” after the shooting, with his brain “splattered on the floor.”
Police said the department was working to determine if any current officers attended the event. According to a statement from the department, the LAPD’s Professional Standards Bureau will determine if any LAPD employees were involved “and if they violated department policies and procedures.”
“Preliminarily we have no indication that any active LAPD officers or civilian personnel attended the event or were a part of the contents in the video,” according to a department statement. “To be clear, the event has no nexus to the LAPD and was not an LAPD sanctioned event.”
Brown, 18, was shot Aug. 9 by Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson. Last month, a grand jury decided not to charge Wilson with a crime, sparking weeks of protests across the country, including Los Angeles.
Another protest was expected tonight in front of LAPD headquarters in downtown Los Angeles.
LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said via Twitter that he was aware of the video.
“Like many of you, I find if offensive and absurd,” Beck wrote. “It does not reflect the values of the LAPD.”
